Thoughts On The Lifestyle Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Eating We didn’t eat anything different, per se, leading up to the tournament, unless you count switching to the Gracie Diet 2 months prior. I guess you could, considering I lost about 13 pounds without trying, and came in under weight for the competition without unhealthy weight-cutting methods like the water elimination I’ve done the […]

The move in dispute: Right hand on the bicep, step up with the left foot, turn your hips, left hand through the gap created, get the leg onto your shoulder, and reach for the far shoulder, stacking up your opponent for the pass to side mount. Many of us have learned it. Many have laughed […]

We aren’t big TV people, so this may be old news to some, but here is a clip of Clark Gracie (“Ridiculously Photogenic Jiu Jitsu Guy”) on Good Morning America. I did not realize this got this big! I’m of two minds on this clearly total-crap interview. My inner-cynic has a problem with the “I’m […]

Does a submission get less manly as the joint attacked gets smaller? I certainly do not take kindly to finger bending. My longest-time training partners will remember the 2000 NAGA in which I was defeated with a finger “lock” (my opponent couldn’t pass my guard by leaning his forearm on my face, so grabbed my […]

I’ve been in training for the New England Submissions Only Challenge for a while now, but tonight I put my money down. There’s definitely a difference between knowing you’re planning on doing something, and making the commitment to do it. (As coincidence has it, I also mailed the deposit and contract for our wedding location […]

Lisa and I are just beginning week five of eating according to the Gracie Diet. The other night she told me she read something suggesting “easing into” full adherence. Oops. We unknowingly went “cold turkey” into it, though with no ill-effects. Here is how we’ve learned to make it a part of our lives so […]

The best tournament I’ve ever been to or taken part in has to be the New England Submission Only Tournament, and it’s coming up again in a couple of weeks. I liked it as much as I did last year because it was fun. I wasn’t overly concerned about being injured, because we are friends […]

We are going to Brazil for 10 days! Pedro Sauer hosts a summer camp, complete with 3-times-daily training, visits to infamous local schools, sightseeing, and catered meals. It will be a pre-wedding honeymoon for us, and we couldn’t be more excited. Professor Sauer was in CT last year, and everyone there was blown away by […]

For our 2-year anniversary, I got Lisa some portraits taken of us for over the fireplace. We decided to get our bad-ass BJJ portraits done as well. Do you have a bad-ass BJJ portrait? These are going around, at least in my circle of friends. For example, have you seen Keith Owen‘s professional portraits? Dude’s […]

My new #1 goal from side mount has become to scoop the near-side arm with my head-side knee, and trap it up in the air. Given the transformation to a tighter game I’m willing myself through, it is really an ideal set-up for everything you could want to do from there (mount, or attack arms […]